


Blind

by CAPTAINPRICE79



Series: Hunter's Rules Verse Stories [2]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Kinda Sorta Beastiality, Man/Anthro!Wolf Smex, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-09-27 19:42:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10043147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CAPTAINPRICE79/pseuds/CAPTAINPRICE79
Summary: Barker and Wu are partners at Alpha Centauri's FLPD, and now are something a bit more. After Barker is forced to leave to go back to Terra, Wu is left behind and falls into a spell of sadness. However, after helping a young Wolf pup, he finds happiness for the first time in the years after Barker left.





	1. A Night of Firsts

**Author's Note:**

> The description I gave here is basically a shortened version of the ending of A Bad Idea We Won't Regret, so if you read that you'll understand a few things better.

**Hey guys Price here and welcome to Chapter 1 of Blind. Once again, a name from Erinnyes01. This fic will contain mostly Wu's Point of View with a few changes to Barker's Ponint of View to show both sides of how the split affects them. This Chapter is the only one containing Smut, which is, as I've pointed out multiple times, Wu and Barker's first time both as a couple and mating. So yeah, hope you guys like it, because I kind of like this Ship. Like, a lot. I found a playlist on Spotify called Sensual Songs for Writing Smut, which I'm sure will be some help. Yes, I write these ANs before I start the story, while the End ANs are written after. That should be obvious as I will say something is the focus of a Chapter sometimes, but it only takes up part of it. So yeah, hope this is enjoyable, especially for you CodeOne and Erin. Speaking of which, it should be obvious by this point, but Barker and Wu – as well as any other mentioned or shown Characters not mine – belong to either Disney or CodeOne. Anyway, that's enough of that, I think it's time to get...onto the story!**

 

 

Wu locked gazes with Barker as she stared at him, before a grin slowly split her muzzle.

"You know, I don't think that was your best performance back at the Station." She commented, Wu arching an eyebrow.

"Oh? Well, the same could be said about you." Wu shot back, Barker huffing in amusement.

"Yeah yeah, just shut up and kiss me already." She said, Wu smiling as they leaned closer together until their lips touched again, both applying pressure steadily until Wu parted his lips to take a breath and suddenly found a Timber Wolf in his lap deepening the kiss. When they pulled apart, Wu had a look of uncertainty on his face.

"You know, if we continue, there's no coming back from this." He said, Barker smiling reassuringly.

"Who said I _want_ to come back from it?" She questioned, Wu returning her smile at her words.

"Well, I don't normally do this." He pointed out.

"What, mate the first night of seeing somebody?" Barker asked, Wu laughing.

"Yeah, that's right. However...I think I can make an exception for you." Wu answered, Barker grinning and lowering her head to kiss him again. Wu raised his hands and placed them on the small of Barker's back, just above her tail, and Barker's tail shook side to side briefly as he did. One of Wu's hands hovered just above the base, afraid to move it in case she didn't want him to touch it, and she finally pulled back from Wu.

“You can touch, just don't pull.” She said, pressing her muzzle back to Wu's mouth before he could say anything, chests separated only by their clothing, and Wu hesitantly lowered his hand to Barker's tail. She shuddered as he did, their mouths parting as she did and making her back arch. Wu sucked in a breath as she brushed against his arousal, letting it out with only three stutters instead of what likely would have come out had he not held it back.

“This may sound odd, but I have never been more turned on in my life.” He admitted, Barker grinning down at him.

“Well, it's certainly not something I thought I'd ever hear a Human say, but considering the circumstances...I think it's safe to say I haven't either.” She said, Wu grinning back at her. He snaked one hand up to the back of her neck and pulled her down, pressing his mouth to hers. A moment later had Barker panting as he pulled his head back, licking his suddenly dry lips as they stared into each other's eyes. “I love you.” She said, Wu blinking. He smiled.

“Yeah.” He said, knowing full well he did love her, he just wasn't ready to say it just yet. Barker frowned slightly, but Wu didn't let her say anything. He snaked his hands beneath the bottom of her shirt and up her sides. They slid to the front of her, rubbing her chest and drawing a moan from her. He lifted her shirt up and stopped when she placed a paw on his arm. He raised his gaze to her eyes, his expression curious.

“I got it. You just worry about yourself.” She said, Wu blinking in surprise.

“Okay.” He said after a moment, Barker leaning back and lifting the shirt off, sending it somewhere over her back. Wu took his own off, tossing it somewhere to his right as Barker came back down. Her furred chest pressed against his own bare one, and Wu found he quite liked the feeling of it. He reached behind Barker, one hand going up to her upper back and the other staying in the lower middle and pulling her against him as he pressed his mouth to hers. Barker moaned, adjusting her position briefly and drawing one from Wu as well when her movement teased his arousal.

“What do you say we get these out of the way, maybe get to the reason I'm here?” Barker suggested, Wu nodding in agreement.

“I think...I think that sounds like a good idea.” He said, Barker grinning down at him and reaching for her belt. Wu stopped her gently, drawing a surprised hum from her as she tilted her head. “I got it.” He echoed, placing the arm he'd moved back to her lower back and rolling over to where she was on her back, the movement surprising her enough to where she was momentarily surprised enough for it to work and not end with her reversing it and sending both of them to the floor on accident. Wu reached down and expertly undid her belt while she simultaneously undid his and extended her neck to kiss him. The belts were tossed to the side and Wu paused to lower himself to more comfortably kiss her. Barker's paws stayed down, however, and worked at his pants until they were past his hips, making sure to keep the underwear with the pants and freeing his erection from the cloth. She paused momentarily to stare at it, licking her jaws before raising her gaze back to him. She grinned and Wu smiled back.

Wu pushed himself up and worked Barker's pants down, tossing them away when they cleared her feet and pulling himself back up to be face to muzzle with her. He opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by her pulling his head down and into a kiss.

“I've waited a long time, Wu. You don't even need to ask.” She said, the man huffing good naturedly.

“Very well. Hope you're sure.” He said as he worked his legs free and kicked off his pants and the associated underwear, then leaning back over Barker. He hesitated, which was clearly visible to Barker because she rolled her eyes.

“Come on. Back to where we were.” She said, Wu nodding after a few seconds' pause and Barker regaining her place in his lap when he was back to a sitting position. She waited a few seconds, then leaned down and cupped his face, drawing him into a passionate kiss as his hands went down to between them to guider her. When she felt him prodding at her entrance she stopped, pulling her head back to see concern in his eyes.

“Something wrong?” He asked, clearly willling to stop if she wanted to do so.

“No. Just savoring the moment.” She answered, smiling reassuringly at him. With a deep breath, she slowly let herself sink down onto him. Wu groaned, hands falling to grip her hips as she finally reached the bottom of it. Wu was breathing heavily at this point, which had Barker a little worried. “Wu, you okay?” She asked, the man nodding.

“Yeah just...never done this before. Need a second.” He said, Barker's ears perking up.

“Wu, have you never...mated before?” She asked, the man smiling nervously.

“The extent of my sex life prior to tonight is literally just my own hands when I was a teenager.” He admitted, Barker arching an eyebrow.

“Well, I'm honored you'd let me be your first.” She said, Wu nodding.

“Honor accepted.” He breathed out, chuckling. That was cut off by Barker slowly raising her hips experimentally. He groaned and buried his head in her shoulder, screwing his eyes shut at the pleasure her movements caused. His breathing was stuttered, and Barker paused her movements. He raised his head. “It's okay. Just...not used to this feeling is all. _Much_ different than hands.” He reassured her, Barker snorting in amusement at that. She slowly sank back down, Wu holding onto her hips as tight as he dared which, admittedly, wasn't that tightly at all. Barker rolled her hips, eliciting a moan from Wu and herself at the movement.

Wu snaked his hands up and around her back, then gently rolled over to where Barker was underneath him once more. Barker frowned at the sudden switch of positions but that disappeared when he pulled his hips back and then moved them forward. She gasped as he continued his movements, the passage of time something they had long since forgotten about. Sometime during their romp Barker had ended up flipping Wu back to the bottom, back into the initial sitting position they'd started in.

As the smells and the sounds and the emotions and all the other senses crashed together, Wu let out a loud, unfiltered groan as he released. Barker, on the other hand – or paw, in her case – was howling in pleasure. Literally. Her howl filled the air in the house, and after a few seconds barks began to sound out from around the area.

As the both of them came down from the euphoria induced high, Wu raised his head to Barker's.

“Not. A. _Word_ about the howl.” Barker warned, Wu closing his mouth.

“I was just going to ask if it was normal.” He said, Barker rolling her eyes.

“ _Yes_ , it is. It's what Wolves do when they mate.” She said, Wu remaining silent for a long moment. Finally, he opened his mouth again.

“Neat.” Barker pulled her head back in surprise, staring at him. “Yeah, I said it. I think it's cool.” He said, the Timber Wolf laughing.

“I was not expecting that response, to be honest, which is why I kinda didn't tell you about it.” She admitted, Wu shrugging.

“And also because you were a little busy, I presume.” Wu remarked, Barker huffing.

“Shut up, I'm too tired to argue right now.” She said, Wu chuckling.

“Of course. See you in the morning, then.” Wu said as he closed his eyes, leaning his head back. Barker lay her head down on his shoulder, taking in his scent with a contented smile on her muzzle.

_'Mine.'_

  
  


  
  


**And that does it for Chapter 1 of Blind! I wish I could have extended it a bit more, but I'm still in that stage where I'm a little bit more comfortable with writing smut, but I'm not quite to the point yet where I can extend it out without making it seem clunky and awkward for the flow. If any of all you readers out there know anybody who could help me with this, please do tell me so I can contact them. I would be extremely grateful because it would help me give better quality content, which is the content you guys deserve. This is possibly my shortest work yet, at least one that's considered an actual Chapter, but that will change with the later Chapters as I flesh out a few plot points I teased in A Bad Idea We Won't Regret, namely how and why Wu adopted Kate. Wait, I think I said this already. Probably. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I'll see you guys...next update. Word Count: 2,030**


	2. Peace

**Hey guys Price here and welcome to Chapter 2 of Blind! This Chapter covers the relationship between Wu and Barker that I sort of skimmed over in favor of moving the plot along. I'm gonna try and show how they kept the whole thing secret from the FLPD station, but we all know everybody could tell. The next two Chapters will show how Barker having to leave affected the both of them and how and why Wu adopted Kate, respectively. As of now and unless otherwise stated by CodeOne, nothing in any of my fics for the Verse shown is canon to the Hunter's Rules Verse. And yes, I will have that disclaimer in every Chapter just to be sure people don't think otherwise. Tell me what you guys think, because I quite honestly love this ship to death, but not as much as Hunter/Tavi, which is why it's my second favorite OC Ship. The Chapters for this fic will be slightly shorter than normal to allow me to write what I intend to without dragging it on, though they may become longer if it flows correctly. In other words, length depends of how it flows. I kinda skip around here as well, but mainly to try and keep a decent flow instead of dragging it out until I find another way without making it seem random. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I think it's time to get...onto the story!**

 

 

Wu blinked tiredly as he raised his head from where it lay – which was something, but what it was he didn't know at the moment, just that it was soft – looking around. He took in his bedroom and then lowered his gaze, noting the familiar looking colored pelt of his partner, Barker.

_'So that's what I was laying on.'_ He thought, lowering his head back down gently. He didn't feel like getting up after last night. He lay there for who knows how long, simply breathing in the smell of his partner with a small smile on his face, and didn't even notice when her heartbeat increased, signifying she was waking up, he was that distracted.

Barker stirred slightly, lifting her head up slowly. Wu raised his head as she did so, Barker pushing herself up with her arms. She didn't even attempt to hide herself as the blanket fell, showing her furred chest for all the world to see, if it had wanted to.

“Hey.” Wu greeted softly, Barker smiling at him.

“Hey.” She returned, Wu leaning forward slightly and pressing his mouth to her muzzle, applying only enough pressure for the kiss to be felt. Barker kissed back, applying only a bit more pressure, and they broke away a few seconds later

“As much as I'd like nothing more than to stay here, we should probably get dressed.” Wu said, Barker frowning at that. She nodded after a moment, letting out a sigh as they both stood from the bed and went about their normal morning routines, up until they arrived at the station thirty minutes later.

Barker paused as she turned the page on a book in her and Wu's cubicle, a sudden thought striking her and making her lock up.

_'I only have a week left...'_ She thought numbly, the book threatening to drop from her paws as her grip relaxed in shock. Had it really already been two whole weeks since her and Wu had gotten together?

The book thudding to the ground made Wu, who sat only a few feet away typing something on his computer, turn in surprise to see her expression.

“Hey, Barker, something wrong?” He asked, the Timber Wolf unfreezing and shaking her head.

“Ah, no, sorry. Just kinda drifted off for a second there.” She lied, reaching down and picking the book up, opening it back to where she'd been easily. Wu looked unconvinced.

“You sure?” He asked, the Timber Wolf nodding.

“I'm sure. Don't worry about it.” She answered, Wu frowning to himself at the answer but nodding nonetheless as he hesitantly turned back to his computer. After a moment, Barker closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, standing from her chair and placing the book down. “I will be back.” She said, Wu acknowledging the words with a short wave.

Barker stepped out of their cubicle, nearly running into one of the other cops who worked there. She sidestepped easily as she turned to the right, walking for all of of thirty seconds before finding the right door. She opened it and stepped into the  _incredibly_ small janitor's closet, shutting the door behind her before taking a deep breath. She sat down as she clenched and unclenched her paws rapidly to try and work her sudden surge of emotions away in a calm, cool, and professional way.

That faltered quickly, however, and she felt a small dampness on the fur under her left eye as she fought to maintain the image she had constructed for herself. She had worked so hard to build the professional image that she could be proud of and now it was falling apart because she'd gone and gotten attached. She would have screamed if she wasn't in a public place. Or at least if she wasn't at work, where nobody would see or hear her that would result in her image being broken.

It didn't take her long to completely break down and start crying, even if it was silent so as to avoid being found.

Barker began to think she'd chosen the wrong place to come – the bathroom, while  _horribly_ cliché, would have been better – since she couldn't really do anything that would help her vent aside from keeping herself from crying out loud. She was rather certain nobody would question the sounds, since Wu had oh so helpfully told her a lot of officers came in here to vent privately, but she wasn't about to take that chance. Plus it was rude to damage anything belonging to her place of employment, even if it was temporary.

After a few minutes Barker was able to finally get herself under control and stand, taking a deep breath to make sure she remained as cool as possible, and opened the door. She blinked when she found Wu waiting for her on the opposite side of the walkway, leaning against a wall of a cubicle.

The cubicle walls were surprisingly sturdy.

“Hey there.” Wu greeted casually, Barker averting her gaze as an ashamed blush heated her face. Wu blinked when he saw her expression, not quite expecting her to react the way she was. “Something wrong, Barker?” He asked in worry, the Timber Wolf glancing around before shaking her head. Wu sighed. “Alright, back into the closet.” He said, Barker blinking in surprise but complying nevertheless as he stepped inside with her.

“Wu, I'm serious, nothing is wrong. I just...” The Timber Wolf trailed off when she couldn't think of an excuse, Wu arching an eyebrow.

“Barker, nobody who comes in here is doing so because they just want to see what it looks like. This is literally either a room for a short make out session or for the officers to vent privately and, since you came in here alone, I'm fairly certain you needed to vent for whatever reason. Plus the room doesn't reek, so there's also that indication.” Wu said, Barker flushing awkwardly at the implications of the room smelling. “So tell me, Barker, _what is wrong?_ ” He asked, the Timber Wolf averting her eyes again as she sighed.

“I just needed a moment. That's all.” She answered after a moment, Wu sighing in mild annoyance. He took a step closer as he raised his hands to gesture as he talked.

“Barker, I am serious. If not as your friend then as your mate, I want to know what's bothering you, okay? I don't care if it's something trivial, please, just _tell me_ so I can try to help.” Wu was more or less begging her to open up at this point and Barker knew it, and after a moment she hesitantly nodded.

“I was just thinking about how much time I have left here.” She said sadly, Wu blinking as his annoyed expression softened in love. He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the Timber Wolf in a hug that had her freezing in surprise before hugging him back.

Wu pulled his head back slightly, Barker doing the same in curiosity. They stared at each other for a moment before both moved forward, Barker clenching her paws around Wu's uniform tightly as they kissed, a soft whine escaping her when they separated.

“We should probably get out of here before the others start to suspect.” Wu remarked, Barker nodding hesitantly. They rubbed down their uniforms to try and get the wrinkles out, Barker having to hold back a yelp when she saw that there _may_ have been a hole or two in the back of Wu's uniform from her claws. She lowered her gaze to ignore it, only to end up staring at his butt. She settled for the back of his head.

Wu opened the door and stepped out, Barker right behind him, only to find a large group of officers waiting for them.

“Oh no.” Barker whined quietly as the other officers stared at them for a long moment before the familiar sound of money exchanging hands reached her ears.

“Yeah, they're totally together.”

“I told you, Steve!”

“Shut up Derrick!”

Yells went around for a while longer as Wu just stared in amusement while Barker was hiding behind her paws. If she'd thought being caught crying would ruin the professional image she'd constructed,  _this_ was another beast entirely.

“Actually, it's just that time of month.” Wu remarked, Barker's eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as the entire collected group of officers went dead silent. “So yeah, I only went in because I was worried something was wrong. There's nothing going on.” Wu added, the group of officers grumbling as money went back to the original holders.

The crowd dispersed a moment later, a few officers looking upset, and Barker waited to be absolutely sure they were all gone before she rounded on Wu.

“Wu for christ's sake you _know_ Wolves don't do that!” She hissed quietly, her embarrassment moving aside to an _extremely_ large amount of anger. Wu smirked.

“I know. But I _did_ just save us, so I'd say it's a win in our book, wouldn't you? As far as they know, Wolves _do_ do that, so it's not like they're gonna call it out.” Wu said, Barker blinking at the explanation. He was...actually right.

“I suppose you have a point.” She conceded grumpily, crossing her arms with a pout. Wu chuckled as they turned and made their way back to their cubicle. They both froze as somebody clapped loudly once from behind them.

Reginald draped one arm around Wu's shoulder in a friendly gesture, grinning at him while Wu blinked and Barker had to prevent herself from tearing the man a new one.

“Hey there, Louis. Tell me, what's with the holes in your uniform? They're distinctly claw marks.” He said, Barker freezing as Wu blinked in confusion.

“What claw marks?” He asked as he reached up and felt, eyes widening in surprise before glancing at Barker. “Wow, this month must be rough.” He remarked, Reginald chuckling.

“Yeah, well, the thing is I've done a bit of reading up on the inhabitants of Terra. Turns out they don't do that kind of stuff, _so..._ ” He trailed off with a small smile, Wu's eyes widening in a brief display of fear as Barker met his gaze in worry.

“Alright, fine. Sorry Barker, but I suppose I have to tell him.” Wu said, Barker's eyes widening in horror at the words while Reginald just looked pleased. “Barker was upset by the fact she's gonna have to leave her friends behind soon and didn't want to damage the professional image she's worked so hard to built. I was worried about why she seemed so upset suddenly, and decided to see what I could do to comfort her. As a friend and her partner I feel like it's my duty to make sure she's emotionally okay so as to prevent any hiccups down the road.” Wu said, Barker blinking in relief. Reginald frowned, apparently expecting a different answer.

“Alright, so why do you two always go in the same direction when you leave despite the fact Barker lives the other way?” The man asked, Wu arching an eyebrow.

“Barker informed me that she couldn't afford to get a decent apartment, so I felt compelled to see what I could do to help her out. I managed to get her a better apartment that's closer to the station, more comfortable, and in a pretty good neighborhood as well. Yes, her old one was decent, but not as safe as the current one. I swear, you'd think she would be grateful I'd be willing to spend money on getting her a better place, but she near tore off my face when I offered! It's a miracle I managed to win the argument!” Wu answered, Reginald frowning further before scowling. Barker looked furious at him. Wu paused. “Well, it wasn't _actually_ that bad, but it was still a minor argument.” He said, Barker seeming to lose a bit of anger at the addition.

“Alright. Guess I was wrong then.” He said, stepping away as he turned and went back towards his own cubicle. Barker waited a moment, then shook her head and grumbled something about Wu regretting his decision to answer the question as she turned and resumed the walk to the cubicle.

Wu just chuckled as he followed, a kind of morbid curiosity making him wonder what Barker had in mind.

Barker opened the door and stepped inside the house she and Wu shared, moving into the bedroom and placing all her standard police equipment on the nightstand. Wu entered the house a few seconds later, closing the door behind him and locking it before kicking off his shoes. He turned to walk towards the bedroom, stopping as he blinked in surprise when he saw Barker staring at him with her arms crossed. He chuckled nervously as she took slow, deliberate steps closer to him, stopping right in front of him. He gulped as she seemed to calculate the best way to rip into him, though with the look in her eyes he wasn't sure whether that was the verbal or physical version.

After a moment Barker reached and grabbed the front of his shirt, turning and dragging him behind her.

_'Okay, I think I may have made a mistake.'_ That was his last thought before Barker was closing the door to the bedroom, cutting off his escape, and pouncing on him with her intent clear.

Three days later, and four days until Barker had to leave, found the Timber Wolf laying in bed with Wu next to her, the Human out cold with his mouth open as he snored ever so quietly while an arm draped over her chest protectively and possessively. It was a weird combination, but it worked.

Barker smiled softly to herself as she rolled over to face her mate, nuzzling his face affectionately as she felt him pull her closer against him. He held her there, though she could easily get out if she wanted to, and let out a mumble about something to do with bananas. Barker let out a small chuckle at that, finding his sleepy mumblings adorable.

The Timber Wolf settled herself, shifting only a tiny bit, and closed her eyes as she drifted back off to sleep.

Wu opened his eyes slowly as his body crept awake, feeling the familiar coarse – but still comfortable and soft, oddly enough – fur of Barker pressed up against him. He opened his eyes further to see that she was actually chest to chest with him instead of how they normally fell asleep, and he assumed she had only turned that way recently.

Wu slowly reached up and began to lightly scratch the back of Barker's neck, right where he knew she liked, and was rewarded with the Timber Wolf – who as still asleep, though perhaps not for much longer – pressing her head back into his palm with a sleepy whine. Wu chuckled to himself; he'd always found it adorable when Barker reacted to getting scratched how she did. He playfully ruffled the top of her head, right between her ears, and went back to scratching when she whined again.

After an indeterminate time of lightly scratching interwoven with short breaks to ruffle her head lightly, Barker's eyes slowly fluttered open to see Wu smiling softly and warmly at her.

“Hey.” She said sleepily, smiling at him softly.

“Hey.” Wu parroted, smiling to himself when Barker buried her head in his shoulder as if trying to go back to sleep. Wu pulled back slightly, causing Barker to look up in curiosity.

“Something wrong, Wu?” She asked, the man shaking his head in denial.

“Nah, just want to talk for a bit. Plan out a few things.” He answered, Barker frowning momentarily before nodding lightly.

“Like what?” She asked softly, Wu pausing to think to make sure he had enough for a lengthy discussion.

“Just what we're gonna do in the future. Things like that.” He said, Barker frowning to herself at the answer.

_'But I have to leave in only a few days. Has he forgotten...?'_ The Timber Wolf thought in mild distress, Wu's smile faltering at seeing her expression fall. She smiled quickly again, sighing softly in what sounded like amusement.

“Alright. What'd you have in mind?” She asked, Wu staring at her in curiosity for a long moment. Barker arched n eyebrow. Wu sighed almost silently.

“Well, I was thinking, and I was wondering if you'd rather come back here or if you'd like me to come to Terra.” He answered, Barker blinking in surprise.

“You would leave here and everything you know and love just...just to be with me again?” She asked softly, her eyes displaying for all the world to see she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

“Would you?” Wu asked in answer, Barker hesitating a moment too long and making Wu blink. His expression faltered.

“Yeah. Yeah, I suppose I would.” Barker answered after a moment of consideration, nodding to herself. She smiled faintly at Wu. “As much as I'd miss it, I could leave Terra for you if I had to choose.”

“Barker, you have family there. That wasn't a fair question to ask, I'm sorry.” Wu said, Barker blinking.

“It isn't that uncommon for Wolves to leave their packs to be with somebody else, Wu. This hypothetical scenario would be more or less the same thing as that.” Barker said in amusement, Wu blinking in surprise. “Besides, you have family here too. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to leave our planet.” She added, Wu nodding.

“I suppose you're right. Just forget I asked, please.” wu said, Barker sighing.

“Wu, it's fine, really. It's just a hypothetical, it isn't like we'll really be forced to choose.” Barker said, Wu groaning softly.

“You know if this was a romance book you would have just jinxed us, right?” He asked, Barker snorting in amusement at that.

“I think it'd be worth it, don't you?” She asked softly, Wu blinking. He chuckled.

“Yeah, I think it would. I hope we never have to choose, though.” He said, Barker nodding lightly in agreement as Wu reached out and pulled Barker snug against him. They lay there, just holding each other, for a long while.

Barker leaned against the wall as she stared at the door to the bedroom her and Wu had been sharing for the past three weeks, her expression one of immense sadness as she wished she could just stay where she was. She had somebody she loved, she had somebody who loved her for who she was, and, most importantly, she was finally  _happy_ in a way her job at the ZPD never could make her. For the first time in her life, Barker was contemplating leaving everything behind. She never thought she would even consider the idea, and yet...here she was.

The Timber Wolf pushed off lightly from the wall and stepped into the living room, sitting down on the couch for the last time in who knew how long. She pulled and antique – for the Humans at least, with their current technology level – voice recorder. She remembered buying it not too long after arriving here, as a sort of souvenir of her time on Alpha Centauri.

After a moment longer, Barker depressed the button on the side to begin a recording.

“Hey, Wu, it's Barker. Well, you probably know that by now. Anyway, I figured it would be best to leave something, and I figured a note would be too cliché, so this was the next best thing. Uh, I just wanted to say I had fun, this past year. You've been good to me. Really. And I know it's been hard for either of us to say it, but I just wanted to let you know I love you. This is goodbye, at least for a while until one of us can get passage to the other's planet, but don't be sad. We'll see each other again one day, I promise. Don't get hung up on me, I beg you. I don't know when I'll be back, or if I ever will, so move on.” Even as barker spoke, she struggled to keep her voice from breaking so as to avoid waking Wu in the bedroom. “Yeah, that's...basically it. It's been a good run, Wu. I'll miss you.” She went silent as she clenched her eyes shut, her free paw forming a fist out of habit as she tried to keep herself from crying. After a moment she recovered, then smiled softly as she decided to add one last part to her farewell. “Oh, and my name...it's Ruth. Ruth Barker.” She released the button and lowered it, leaning her head back as she let out a quiet sigh.

Barker stood after a few moments to collect herself, then silently stepped into the bedroom and, with one last longing glance at Wu, placed the recorder on the desk. She debated over a farewell kiss, then shook her head, though it pained her to choose such a decision. She couldn't risk him awakening to try and stop her, or something equally as 'him' as that.

Barker collected her bag from where she'd placed it by the door, standing as she sung it. She silently opened the door, turning to give one last look to the interior of the house so as to ingrain every little detail she could into her memory. With eyes beginning to water she turned and quietly closed the door behind her, making her way through the city streets to where the port was. Her flight to Terra wasn't technically for a few hours, but the longer she stayed the harder it would be to leave, especially if Wu came with her.

When Barker arrived she went through the motions; she got her ticket, walked around for a bit to find the right place, then sat down to wait.

A few hours later found Barker boarding the ship that would take her back to Terra. She paused at the top, turning to look out towards the city with a wistful look, then sighed as she turned and boarded the ship. She made her way to her seat, sat down, and waited for the thing to take off.

As the ship flew through space, Barker held her phone in her paws, looking at a her collection of pictures. There were a few of her and Wu smiling as somebody else took the picture, and after a bit of scrolling she found one of the entire station surrounding her and Wu – she had been surrounded more due to the fact she had been sitting with him when the others had arrived – as his eyes lit up. She recalled the fact it had been his birthday and the others had thrown a surprise party, and his gaze had found the cake that had been just out of frame when the picture had been taken. She chuckled to herself, then scrolled and immediately tilted her phone so the screen faced the wall as a rather risqué picture of her and Wu appeared. She glanced over at the person in her row, sighing in relief when they gave no indication to having seen the picture.

Barker turned off and pocketed her phone, her mind flooding her with awkward scenarios that could happen if the picture had been seen. She blushed further when her imagination oh so helpfully drew up a scenario if the others on Terra found out. With a quiet groan of despair at the idea, Barker lay her head back.

She could already tell it was going to be fun, trying to keep the secret.

 

 

**And that does it for Chapter 2 of Blind! I hope you guys enjoyed this, especially you CodeOne, because I actually had fun writing this when I got back into it. I hope I can accurately show how it would feel to be separated by a large distance from your loved one, but I would appreciate some tips if you would be so kind, good readers. No, seriously, I don't know how it feels, and I need assistance. So, yes, I do have a headcanon that Barker and Wu were kinda miserable for a bit after she left, though not for a particularly long time because they seem to be relatively fine during the events of Hunter and Hunted, or at least what we see of them. I apologize it took so long to write this, but I just got out of it and kept forgetting to get back into it, so I kinda became uninterested for a bit. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I will see you guys...next update. Word Count: 4,437**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zootopian Assassins will likely be updated next week, since I'm done with Chapter 39 and working on 40 soon. Just thought you guys would like to know.


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